Kim Nilsen

A few favorites from my bookshelf. Photo by Ellen Kolb.

I collect as much information as I can about New Hampshire’s parks and trails. From a thick binder filled with loose maps to my Randolph Trails book with its still-intact spine, I think I have the state covered. I have three books in particular to which I keep returning. Let me tell you about them, and I hope you’ll comment about your own favorite guides.

Hiking the Monadnock Region by Joe Adamowicz, second edition. There’s at least one newer edition in print, but there’s no way I’ll give up the one I’ve got. My scribbling fills the margins, with my remarks about conditions as I found them supplementing the author’s own excellent text. The 30 hikes described in the book have taken me from Hinsdale to Amherst over the years. The longest hike, rated at about three and a half hours, is Marlboro Trail on Mount Monadnock. There are plenty of shorter and flatter excursions listed, and it’s great to see so many Forest Society and NH Audubon properties highlighted. The black-and-white maps in the book can be unclear, especially where contour lines are close together. Supplementing them with maps from another source is a good idea. I’ve done some of these hikes a dozen times; they’re like old friends I keep going back to visit. (New England Cartographics, ISBN 1-889787-07-8)

50 Hikes North of the White Mountains by Kim Nilsen. This one’s practically hot off the presses, just published last year. It brings into one place information about a number of hikes I’d like to take someday. I met the author, Kim Nilsen, about five years ago as I began to investigate the Cohos Trail. He’s spent the last three decades developing that trail and sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm about the North Country with anyone who’s interested. With this book, he puts it together. He has a distinctive voice, and he writes with tremendous affection for northern New Hampshire. I’ve taken a few of these hikes, but most are on my “someday” list. This is a book that lends itself to daydreams and plans. (The Countryman Press, ISBN 978-0-88150-972-4)

New Hampshire Rail Trails by Charles F. Martin. This is an encyclopedic guide. Nothing else comes close to compiling so much information about recreational rail trails in this area. Photographs are plentiful, and the reference maps are useful (but should be supplemented in the field). I like the brief history he includes with each trail description. I have found his ratings of scenery and trail surfaces to be accurate. He mentions the agencies that maintain each line, so if I want updated information about a particular trail, I know where to start making inquiries. (Branch Line Press, ISBN 978-0-942147-10-0)

I should mention that I bought all of these at Toadstool Bookshop in Milford. I’m sure they’re available online as well, but throw some business to your local bricks-and-mortar bookstore if you’re lucky enough to have one nearby.

Let me know where you get your own trail information. You might give me some good ideas.

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Representatives of three trail organizations celebrate the linking of trails in the U.S. and Canada. — l-r: Kim Nilsen of the Cohos Trail Association, Gloriane Blais of Sentiers Frontiers, and Richard Andersen of the International Appalachian Trail.

Eleventh in a series of posts about a 2009 hike on the northernmost section of the Cohos Trail.

I saw a magnificently starry night last evening through the mesh of my tent. Awesome, in the original sense. It occurred to me this is the first time on the trip I’ve seen such a clear night sky. I’ve fallen asleep too early most nights, & it’s been cloudy on some others. I’ll treasure the memory of last night’s view, with so many more stars than I can ever see at home. I started identifying constellations, but quickly decided to forget that. I just stared up at the sky like a kid, with a silly grin on my face. I couldn’t even articulate a prayer of thanks beyond “…this is soooooo cool.”

Pete & Lainie picked me up at 8:25 this morning, accompanied by Kim Nilsen, who first came up with the whole idea of a Cohos Trail. Today’s official celebration of the joining of the CT with a Canadian trail is something he’s wanted to see for a long time.

The press conference turned out to be quite an event, with a wonderfully festive tone. About 70 people were there. Half were hikers, there to begin a 6-day hike arranged & sponsored by Sentiers Frontaliers. Of course, every Canadian there was bilingual, while we few Americans were trapped in English. There were no NH or US VIPs, but our hosts welcomed a mayor & a prefect & provincial deputies. So now we have an international trail! It was a happy morning.

I have taken my trip during the year’s first official heat wave. Here at Robie’s Cabins, back in the land of satellite TV, channel 9 is reporting that Nashua hit 96 today. I know I had two mighty hot days on US 3 yesterday & the day before. Today, I’ve been driven everywhere, so the temperature hasn’t affected me much.

Here in Pittsburg village, I’m in a comfortable little unit here on Main Street. I’m catching up on news & sports & weather. There’s a DVD player & a selection of discs, and I’ve picked one out for the evening. I’ll be able to call home tonight. I’ve hand-washed the bulk of my laundry, & pieces are draped here & there to dry. I shipped off the tent & assorted gear at the post office down the street. This has been a pretty productive afternoon.

Channel 9 forecasts storms tonight and maybe early tomorrow. That should break the heat for now. Unless we’re in for all-day rain, I plan to put in however many miles it takes to get all the way back to Sportsman’s. I’ll get a good breakfast at the diner up the street, and then I’ll be off. I’ve already called Roger at the lodge to tell him I’m coming in a day early. I’m eager to get going. As my husband would say, I can smell the barn.